Informal

Jennifer Kabat, Wired, April 2001
Cecil Balmond has a simple plan to reinvent architecture: Break down the cage that separates structural engineering from design.

Rem Koolhaas
Balmond has, almost single-handedly, shifted the ground in engineering, and therefore enabled architecture to be imagined differently.

Deyan Sudjic, The Observer, October 27, 2002
It could be the next Brief History of Time - but with pictures.

RIBA, November 2002
Informal is a vivid and intriguing new book.

Time Out London, December 2002
A beautifully constructed book. You'll never think of buildings in the same way again.

Book Description
The innovative structural designs of Cecil Balmond underpin architectural forms and give them their own integrity. Balmond's collaborative work with architects such as Daniel Libeskind, Rem Koolhaas and James Stirling demonstrates the process of fusion between architecture and his engineering. His structural thinking differs from that of other engineers in his field in its completely new conception of the engineer's contribution to architecture. The plasticity of architectural plans is enhanced through a decisive development of its structural design. The border line between structure and architecture thus becomes increasingly blurred. In this book, the process is explained by reference to eight projects through which the author makes the theoretical basis of his engineering solutions understandable for the reader.

From the Publisher
Balmond's structural thinking differs from that of other engineers in his field in its completely new conception of the engineer's contribution to architecture. The plasticity of architeectural plans is enhanced through a decisive development of its structural design. The borderline between structure and architecture thus becomes increasingly blurred. This process is explained in detail in "Informal" by reference to 8 exemplary projects. The author makes the theoretical basis of his engineering solutions understandable to the reader and his sketches are more than just purely techincal illustrations - they are the key o his approach. After reading "Informal", architects will have to rethink their understanding of many well-known buildings.

About the Author
The Author: Cecil Balmond was born in Sri Lanka in 1943 and studied civil engineering at Imperial College, London, specializing in advanced structures. He is a member of the Arup main board. He has collaborated with many famous architects including Rem Koolhaus, Enrique Miralles, and Daniel Liebeskind. He is the author of "Number 9", also published by Prestel. The Editor: Christian Brensing studied literature at the Royal College of Art in London and has worked for Ove Arup & Partners since 1993.


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Balmond has, almost single-handedly, shifted the ground in engineering, and therefore enabled architecture to be imagined differently.  — Rem Koolhaas


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